Field
The present disclosure relates to a water conservation process and apparatus and, more specifically, to diverting accumulated water within hot water pipelines through the use of a diverter unit having an electrically-powered and controlled set of valves.
Description of the Related Art
A significant amount of fresh and usable water is wasted daily in sinks and showers of an individual's residence. Specifically, this waste occurs during the operational lag time between when hot water is requested at a point-of-use, such as a faucet, and when hot water from a hot water source reaches the point-of-use via hot water pipelines. During this time, water that is already in the pipelines (e.g., accumulated during the lag time of a prior use of hot water) is drained from the system until new hot water from the hot water source reaches the faucet, thereby causing a significant amount of fresh and usable water to go wasted down the drain.
To date, the main solution adapted by individuals to address this problem has been to place a bucket or container in the sink or shower to catch the initial flow of cooled water during the lag time between when hot water is requested at the faucet and hot water from a hot water source reaches the faucet.
This method, however, is cumbersome, for the individual must remember to catch the initial flow of water each time hot water is used at the sink or shower. Further, depending upon the amount of accumulated cooled water in the hot water pipelines, the container holding the initial flow of accumulated cooled water may become very heavy, thus presenting an injury hazard as the individual repeatedly moves a bucket full of water out of the sink or shower on a regular basis. In addition, the individual must manually determine when the hot water has reached the faucet by placing his or her hand in the flowing water, at which point some hot water will have already been wasted into the bucket or down the drain without being used.
Alternatively, a recirculation method exists where accumulated water in the pipelines re-circulated back to the hot water source when hot water is requested at a point-of-use. This recirculation can be achieved by installing a separate set of return pipelines or by retrofitting the existing pipelines such that the accumulated cooled water is re-directed to the cold water pipelines.
However, this method requires that water be constantly recirculated through the entire system using a heating source that uses, for example, a 120 volt pump and a return line that leads all the way back to the heating source. Because the system must be on 24/7, the system uses an extreme amount of energy to both pump the water and to heat it. Further, such a system is difficult to install, as installation generally requires one of high expertise, such as a professional plumber, and further requires considerable alterations to the existing pipe system of the building. In addition to these difficulties, installing such a system requires significant financial cost.
A method also exists where an individual places a tank with an electric heating element at every point-of-use (e.g., under the sink). This reduces the time that hot water travels from its source to the point-of-use, thereby reducing the amount of cooled water that is sent down the drain before the hot water reaches the point-of-use.
However, this method is also problematic in that it is difficult to install for a shower, where the majority of the water in a typical household is wasted. Further, as with the recirculation method, it requires that all tanks be heated 24/7, which requires an extreme amount of energy.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for recovering all or substantially all of the accumulated cooled water normally sent down the drain while waiting for hot water to be discharged at a point-of-use without the drawbacks of existing methods and systems. In particular, there is a need for an easily installable, affordable, and energy efficient apparatus that can be used to address the above discussed problem in a variety of settings where fresh and usable water can be recovered and conserved at a point-of-use.